Improvement in cotton-harvesters



3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. TRIPP.; Gotton-Hau'vesterlA No. 200,362. a Pafe-med'reb.12,187s`.5

WITNESSES: III-VFIITUB:

ATTUNIEYS A NPEI'ERS. PIiOTQ-l-ITHQGIIFMERA WASHINGTON. D. C..

3 SheetsSheet3 J.v TRIP?. Y Cotton-Harvester.

. No f2oo,362. Patented Fb.12,11878.

' Ik i 22a WWW mvmom 'wmf ' mnms l`To all 'whom it may concern.:

JAM'Es'rRIPP, on coLDwATER, MICHIGAN.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 200,362, dated February 12,1878; applicationled November 14, 1877.

.Be it known that I, JAMES TRIPP, 4of Coldwater, in the county of Branch and State. of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Cotton-Harvester; andI do hereby. declare that fthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had .to the accompanying drawings, forming part o f this specification, inwhich y Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. y2, a plan view; Fig. 3, a partial vertical longitudinal section, showing driving mechanism; Figa, a detail of one of the pickers, with the cardcloth in longitudinal section 5 and Fig. 5, va top view of a portion of one of the receivingTbars.

The object of my invention is to provide a practical device for pickingor harvesting cotton in theiield, and thus dispensewith the slow, laborious, andV expensive mode of picking by hand,kv as commonly practiced:

' The invention covers a number of improvements upon that form of cotton-harvesterin which a set of pendent pickers, compo'sed`of bars surrounded by upwardly-pointing teeth, is arranged to revolve, and in saidfrevolution tol descend into the cotton-bush and seize the ber, and then, with a motion` tothe rear, to compensate forthe progressive movementof v,the device, to'ascendand deliver the ber to a Ys etof strippers.

Inthe drawings, Arepresents the box or receptacle 'for the picked cotton, which receptacle is arranged in the forward part of a frame similar tofa wagon-body frame. Said frame is mounted upon yrunnil'ig wheelsv B B, and isprovided with a tongue or pole, 0, with v suitable draft-connections. rIhe backof the "cotton-receptacle ,is inclined upwardly ,and

.sets in the machina, I arrallg a' number of the pickers in a horizontal supporting-bar sufrearwardly, while the side frames are extended to the rear, past the supporting wheels, to form supports for and carry the cotton-picking devices. v

Dt are thel pickers, which are constructed each'exactly alike, as shown in Fig. 4with a stilin straight central bar, a, of hard wood or iron, about thirtysix' inches in length, or of alength adapted tolv the size of the. bushes.

These bars lhave their lower portions, through- I out the greater 'part of their length, covered with a surface of upwardly-projecting spines or teeth, b. For forming these teeth I employ a straight` piece l'of card-cloth, :and y. cutting it in a narrow strip and winding it spirally about the rod,` as has beenheretofore done, I formthe straightpiece of 'cardclothlout obstruction, and to take up wear, I attach tothe end ofthe rod da conical pointedfoot, c, made of ,wood or non, but preferably of the latter material, and secured by ascrew, or in any other suitable way. .This pointed foot, it will be seen, causesthepicker in descend- :ing to glance 06f fromwopposing limbs, .and

preserves the lower vportion of the cardteeth from iniury endrwear- TQ prevent thebreakage of the pickers also, in passingvover stones,

` stumps, or othensimilar obstruction, itisdesirable that the pickers should be yielding or receding in charactenand for this `'reason I pass the ci-qntral rod a of the picker entilely through-itshorizontal supporting-bar E, and

ffix upon the end of the same a head or collar, d, while beneath the supporting-bar, and between the same and a shoulder on the central rod, I arrange a spiral spring, e, ,which allows the pickers to move np through the supportinggbar against thetension 4of the spring, thus making vthepicker-spring seated and lyielding toobstructions.4 4vL Iuxing the pickers in sets andseries of ciently fariapart to allow the limbs ofthe cotton-bush and green b ollsto pass .between the same, and these horizontal bars I arrange in sets, Figs.` 1` and 2, and connected at one jend only (fcrreasons-hereinafter explained) by a cross-bar, F. Ofthese sets of .pickers I employ a series, 1 2 3 4 5 y6, and pivotthem each so that the pickers hang verticallybetweenthe projecting radial arms Gr of a reelframe fastened rigidlyupon the horizontal transverse shaft H. This shaft is journaled in bearings in the rear end of the Wagon-frame,

and carries two such reel-frames with series of sets of pickers, so as to harvest two rows of cotton at once.

In imparting rotary motion to the reelframes the supporting-wheels are rigidly fastened to their axle, and to the latter is keyed a gear-wheel, I, Fig. 3, which meshes into a gear-wheel, J, keyed upon a second shaft, K. This latter shaft is arranged parallel to and in front of the axle, and is j ournaled in bearings beneath the wagon-frame. Upon its extremities, outside of its bearings, are fixed disks f, one upon each side of the machine. These disks are connected by means of wrist-pins with a rigid lever-pitman, K, upon each side, which latter are loosely connected, by slots and pins, with disks g keyed upon opposite extremities of the reel-frame shaft.

. N ow, as the shaft K revolves its wrist-pins impart a reciprocating movement to the leverpitmen K, which is converted at the opposite end of the pitmen into auniform rotary movement of the reel-shaft by means of the intermediate slot and fixed fulcrum-pin h, the opposite ends of each of the lever-pitmen rotating with an opposite revolution about their respective shafts. This means of transmitting rotary motionto the series of pickers on" the reel-frame is simple, strong, and not liable to become entangled with or disarranged by the bushes of the plant. I may, however, if desired, employ in the place of this device a chain-belt with wheels, or other equivalent mechanism for this purpose.

In connecting the drive-wheels and the reelframe, the series of pickers on the latter and the intervening gear-wheels are so relatively arranged as to cause the sets of pickers-to follow each other in immediate succession without leaving upon the row of cotton any unpicked spaces, so that no portions of the cotton row are skipped.

In the arrangement of the sets of pickers-in the reel-frame, itwill be seen that the only connection they have therewith is `through their pivots, and hence for all parts of their revolution they are in a state of suspension,

which well adapts them to the vertical longitudinal movement required. A

To prevent the swinging or swaying, however, of the several seats, which would interfere with the proper working of the device, I connect rigidly with the pivot-extension of each set of pickers a rag-wheel, U, and around.

all of these rag-wheels, upon their respective sets of pickers, I pass a chain-belt, V, Fig. 1.y

This arrangement allows the gravity of 'the `pickers always to preserve their true pendent without the objectionable rubbing action, and

the fact that the pickers enter the cotton-bushl and rise therefrom over the same spot by the compensating movement to the rear effected by locating the pickers on a revolving reelframe, which, it will be seen, prevents them from being dragged laterally through thebush, to the injury of the plant as well as to the damage of the pickers and the cotton.

N ow, as the sets of the series of pickers successively descend into the cotton-bush and rise with the cotton held by the card-teeth they pass upwardly and around toward a series of stripping-bars, L, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5. These bars are affixed to the rear inclined side of the box or receptacle for the cotton, and are covered upon/their upper edges with cardcloth t', Fig. 5, the teeth of which incline toward the said box, while upon the sides of said bars are arranged laterally-projecting brushes j. Now, the supporting-bars E being parallel and open, and connected at their rear ends only by a cross-bar, F, they pass down freely between the 4stripping-bars L, Fig. 2, and as they thus passdown the card-cloth on the same seizes the liber of the cotton, while the brushes j, by reaching laterally through the pickers, serve more effectually to clear the cotton from the points of the pickers, which are somewhat removed from the card-cloth of the stripping-bars.

The cotton being thus delivered from the pickers to the stripping-bars, a rake, M, by a compound movement, carries it back into the box. This rake is formed of a head, having bent arms arranged parallel with the stripping-bars and provided each with downwardlyprojecting teeth. In imparting motion to this rake a shaft, N, is arranged in bearings parallel with K, and provided with a pinion, O, which meshes with the gear-wheel of shaft K. A larger gear-wheel, P, is keyed upon this same shaft for a spinhgearor multiple revolution, and this wheel, in turn, meshes with a pinion, Q, ixed upon a third shaft7 I. This latter shaft isv provided with two eccentrics, la k, which revolve in circular openings in the bars S, which latter are attached to and operate the rakes. These eccentrics impart the necessarymovement to the rakes, and the spurgears driving the same are so regulatedV in number and relation of teeth as to cause the rakes to pass over the stripping-bars once for each delivery of cotton to the stripping-bars by the several sets of pickers, the movement of the rake being so timed as to cause it to pass over the stripping-bars just as the carded portion ofthe pickers has passed below them.

To give the rakes a compound or naturalrak- 4 ing movement, the lower ends of these bars S are slotted, (see Fig. 3,) and made to embrace the axle of the driving-wheels, so as to be controlled thereby to the desired result.

To permit the backward movement of the rakes, the inclined rear portiono` the box is slotted to receive the rake-bars S, and as the rakes pass over said inclined back with their charge of cotton they are cleared of their burden by means of a set of stationary clearingngers, T, through which the parallel bars of the rakes rise in their compound movement, and by which the cotton is pulled on from the teeth of the latter and allowed to drop into the box or receptacle for the saine.

I do not claim, broadly, a set of pivoted pendent pickets having a revolving motion to the rear, as this principle is embodied in the harvester patented December l1, 1860, by Apperley and Johnson, in which the set of pickers is pivoted upon'a crank-axle. This arrangement, however, admits the use of only one set of pickers, and to enable the single set to pick the row without leaving spaces it musthave a motion so rapid as to involve the lateral abrasion of thebushes. I therefore limit my claim as to this feature to the pickers arranged in series of sets, and combined with the reelarms, which permits the pickers to pick the row without leaving spaces, and yet to have a retrograde motion, which more nearly-corresponds in uniformity, to the advance movement of the machine, and which, therefore, diminishes lateral abrasion of the pickers in the bush.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new isl. lA vertically-operating cotton-picker, D, having upwardly-projecting spines or cardteeth, made inflexible or rigid against lateral bending, but arranged to yield in longitudinal direction, substantially as described.

2. The pointed foot c, arranged upon the lower extremity, and combined with the vertically-operating picker carrying upwardlyprojecting teeth, substantially as and for the purpose described.

A3. The combination, with the series of set of pickers, of a rag-wheel arranged upon the pivot of each set of pickers, and an endless chain encircling all the rag-wheels of said series, for the purpose of preventing the individual swaying .movement of-the sets, substantially as described. l

4..A series of sets of pendent and vertically-operating pickers, combined with Aand pivoted to the reel-arms G, arranged upon a revolving axis, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination, with the reel-frame,

carrying the sets of pickers and provided with disks g, of the lever-pitman K, connected with the crank-pin of its driving-shaft, and having an intermediate fulcrum, substantially as shown and described.

5 6. The strippers L arranged upon the rear portion of the cotton-receptacle, and having forwardly-inclined card-teeth and laterallyprojecting brushes j, in combination with the revolving sets of pickers, substantially as shown and described.

7. The combination, with a set of parallel rearwardly-projecting strippers, L, of a set of pickers, D, arranged in open parallel bars E, having a single cross-bar, F, to adapt the pickers to pass through and deliver their burden to the strippers, substantially as described.

S. The rake M, in combination with the strippers L, the receptacle A, and the clearingfingers T, substantially as and for the purpose described.

9.` The combination, with the shaft R, carrying eccentric k, of the'rake M, having its bar S slotted and embracing the axle of the drivin g-wheels, to secure and control the compound movement of said rake, substantially as described.

l0. A cotton-picking device consisting of a set of revolving pendent pickers, a set of strippers, a rake, and clearing-ngers, substantiallyb as shown and v described.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 9th day of November, 187 7 JAMES TRIPP. Witnesses:

EDw. W. BYRN, SoLoN C. KEMoN. 

